Bank of Flowers in Menomonee Falls has had their resident kitty "Chloe" for quite some time. The ladies at the Pewaukee store were jealous and wanted their own store pet.

A snail that arrived on a plant was our first pet. Shelldon kept trying to escape and Luan, the manager, was falsely accused with aiding an escapee. Shelldon was moved to Ashley's house because he was a proven flight risk. (Update: Shelldon was found half eaten at his current residence. We assume it happened during another escape attempt.)

We then had a fish that Ashley received from her Secret Santa. Fin didn't last long and he was replaced by Finn 2 who lasted just as long. We finally figured out that some of the sprays we use ended up in the fish's water bowl and killed them.

That was a few years ago and we still really wanted a pet. Melissa researched available cats at area shelters because we definitely wanted a cat that wouldn't get into everything and was mellow. At last, on September 22, Monte came to live at our store.

Monte was named after a flower, the Monte Casino Aster. In the beginning he was a little skittish but that lasted 3 days! The people at the Washington County Humane Society thought he might be feral and that he was a stray at one point, not good for ladies who love cats. Well, after those 3 days of settling in, Monte has become the king of the store! He likes to greet us at the back door when we get in in the morning and give us kisses. He will say hi to anyone who comes into the store and always lies down at their feet. Monte is an attention hog!

Monte acts very much like a dog. He has played fetch with us a few times. We cannot leave an open purse laying around because he will dig in it looking for food. Monte will come when called (most of the time). We're surprised he doesn't bark!

Thank you Melissa for picking out such a wonderful companion! We love Monte very much!